Cordillera Festival of Festivals 2025 thrives amid rain, crowds gather

BAGUIO CITY — The Cordillera Festival of Festivals (FOF) 2025 pushed through with vibrant colors, rhythmic beats, and an enthusiastic turnout despite intermittent rain showers.

Undeterred by the weather, crowds lined the streets of Baguio to witness the region’s biggest cultural showcase — a celebration of Cordilleran unity, creativity, and pride.

Now on its fourth year, the festival once again transformed the City of Pines into a dynamic hub of indigenous music, dance, and artistry.

From colorful parades to community exhibits, the event brought together the region’s six provinces and two cities in a collective display of culture, resilience, and local craftsmanship.

The five-day celebration, held from October 22–26, 2025, opened with a market exhibit at Malcolm Square highlighting the Cordillera’s diverse crafts, produce, and traditional garments.

Despite the occasional downpour, the energy never waned as artisans, performers, and visitors engaged in a lively exchange that showcased the richness of highland heritage and community spirit.

The highlight came on October 24, when a grand parade marched from Melvin Jones Football Field up Session Road, culminating near the rotunda below SM City Baguio.

Performers from Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Baguio City, and Tabuk City filled the streets with traditional music, gongs, and dances — their colorful woven attire gleaming under the misty sky.

In her message, Tourism Secretary Cristina Garcia Frasco lauded the event as “a symbol of our unity as Filipinos.”

“Our culture is our greatest driving force. It will endure as long as it is celebrated. Each dance performed, each story told, strengthens not only our regional but our national pride,” Frasco said.

The FOF 2025 formed part of the Department of Tourism’s “Philippine Experience Program – Cordillera leg”, which promotes culture-based and sustainable tourism.

The Festival of Festivals, launched by the Department of Tourism–Cordillera Administrative Region (DOT-CAR), was created to unite the major cultural celebrations of the Cordillera’s six provinces and two cities while showcasing the region’s indigenous heritage.

Over the years, it has evolved from a simple parade into a comprehensive cultural platform that connects tourism, community enterprise, and heritage preservation.

This year’s festival also recognized outstanding performances from across the region:

• • Most Creative Choreography: Abra
  • Outstanding Musical Instrument: Apayao
  • Best Traditional Performance: Benguet
  • Best Storytelling through Performance: Ifugao
  • Spirit of the Festival Award: Mountain Province
  • Outstanding Musical Arrangement: Kalinga
  • Cultural Ambassador Awardee: Tabuk City
  • Crowd Favorite: Baguio City

The celebration featured major Cordilleran festivities:

• • The Matagoan Festival (Tabuk);
  • Bodong Festival (Kalinga);
  • Gotad ad Ifugao (Ifugao);
  • Panagbenga Festival (Baguio);
  • Say-am Naya (Apayao);
  • Lang-ay Festival (Mountain Province);
  • Adivay Festival (Benguet);
  • and Kawayan Festival (Abra).

Coinciding with Indigenous Peoples’ Month, the event paid tribute to the region’s IP communities whose artistry, traditions, and wisdom define the Cordilleras’ cultural identity.

Building on insights from the festival’s 2024 edition, DOT-CAR emphasized that beyond spectacle, the Festival of Festivals continues to foster meaningful participation — giving artisans, culture-bearers, and local producers an avenue to showcase their craft, from handwoven textiles and bamboo products to fresh agricultural goods.

The festival’s closing “unity dance” symbolized this spirit of togetherness, wrapping up five days of celebration that affirmed the Cordilleras’ pride of place.

Rain or shine, the Festival of Festivals once again proved that the region’s culture thrives through its people — resilient, creative, and deeply rooted in heritage.